One of our biggest beefs with the various postseason awards handed out by the Associated Press is that the awards aren’t determined after the postseason has ended.
So we created two years ago our own set of postseason honors, which are awarded when the football season is complete.
The first is named for Hall of Fame defensive tackle Alan Page, and it goes to the best defensive lineman of the year, as determined by a loose formula of on-field production, off-field achievements, any obstacles overcome by the player, and overall contribution to the sport.
The finalists for the Alan Page Award are Cowboys defensive tackle Jay Ratliff, Vikings defensive tackle Pat Williams, Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, and Saints defensive end Will Smith.
Make your preferences known in the comments, and feel free to lobby for consideration of someone whom we might have overlooked.
We’ll huddle with the other PFT contributors and come up with a winner at some point before we turn off the computer on Thursday night.